President Donald Trump on Nov. 27 repeated his jab at Sen. Elizabeth Warren, calling her "Pocahontas." The forum was a meeting with Navajo Code Talkers to mark Native American Heritage Month. Video via the White House

President Donald Trump, standing left, holds up the card of Navajo Code Talker Thomas Begay, center, during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Nov. 27, 2017.(Photo: Susan Walsh, AP)

"You were here long before any of us were here," Trump told the Code Talkers assembled in the Oval Office. "Although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas. But you know what? I like you because you are special."

Trump has long ridiculed Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, by mocking her controversial claim of Cherokee and Delaware heritage. Native Americans and others said Trump's remarks were made more offensive because of the circumstances in which he said them, an event marking Native American Heritage Month and recognizing the Code Talkers' unique contributions to the U.S. military during World War II.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.(Photo: Getty Images)

Warren responded to Trump's comments in an MSNBC interview Monday. "It is deeply unfortunate that the president of United States cannot even make it through a ceremony honoring these heroes without having to throw out a racial slur," she said.

Warren, who is a native of Oklahoma, based her claim of Native heritage on unsubstantiated family lore, according to fact-checking on the issue by the Washington Post and others. Her claimed ancestry has not been verified or ruled out.

"I grew up being insulted by white people who threw around terms like 'Pocahontas' and 'Trail of Tears' to make fun of you," he said. "To use 'Pocahontas' in a degrading way is even more offensive in front of aging Code Talkers who are there to be recognized for their service."

Amanda Blackhorse, a Navajo social worker and Native-issues advocate, said, "the fact that Trump continues to bring up Pocahontas every time (Warren's) name comes up is just completely derogatory and completely inappropriate."

"Navajos are a matriarchal society. This means they respect the leadership roles their women hold. I don’t think it would fly if a Navajo warrior or any Navajo man were to disrespect a woman in this same way," she said.

Rep. Tom O'Halleran — the Democrat whose district includes part of the Navajo Nation — also slammed Trump's comments, calling them "callous and insulting to the brave service members who sacrificed for our nation and to the heritage and history of all Native Americans."

"Today’s ceremony was about their contributions to our nation, not for the president to take a cheap political shot at an opponent," he said. "President Trump owes the Navajo Nation and Code Talkers a sincere apology.”

Layers of controversy

President Donald Trump (right) speaks during a meeting with Navajo Code Talkers, including (from left) Fleming Begaye Sr., Thomas Begay and Peter MacDonald in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 27, 2017.(Photo: Associated Press)

As Trump's comment dominated headlines, the backdrop for the Oval Office event emerged as another point of outrage.

Trump and the Code Talkers stood in front of a portrait of President Andrew Jackson, regarded by many Native Americans as America's worst leader.

"While I understand that Jackson's initiatives and policies occurred almost two centuries ago, the impact of those decisions and their implementation remain relevant and timely," said Bryan Brayboy, a president's professor specializing in indigenous issues at Arizona State University.

"Native peoples continue to fight for their homelands, are feeling the ravages of displacement, and engage mining companies and other enterprises around the legitimacy of our claims to our lands," said Brayboy, who is Lumbee. "... That portrait, for anyone who studies and thinks about American Indian issues, is a painful reminder of Jackson's legacy of violence, fear and racism."

Brayboy said he was less interested in the "political aspects" of Monday's event and the resulting fallout than the "opportunity to educate the larger public about (Code Talkers') contributions and heroism."

'An unbelievable impact'

Code Talkers are celebrated for their role in World War II.

As the U.S. entered the war, the military needed a code that would slow the skilled cryptographers in Tokyo.

A former Army engineer and the son of Presbyterian missionaries who had lived on the Navajo Reservation suggested Diné, the Navajo language. Few people off the reservation understood Diné, and the language was largely unwritten. Its grammar and syntax rules are difficult to learn, especially in a short period.

Marine recruiters began signing up young Navajo men, who worked together to develop the code. The Navajo language had no direct translation for many of the words that would be used in a military communication, so the Code Talkers developed a series of phrases using other words, such as animals or familiar objects.

The Japanese never broke the Navajo code.

"These men voluntarily walked into the war, made an unbelievable impact on it, and served with honor, integrity, and bravery," Brayboy said. "They should be honored for that gift and that service."

Instead, he said, the controversy over Trump's comments "undermines the Navajo Code talkers" and "fails to recognize the incredible sacrifices that Native peoples have made to the armed services and armed conflict."

“In this day and age, all tribal nations still battle insensitive references to our people. The prejudice that Native American people face is an unfortunate historical legacy,” he said. “As Native Americans, we are proud people who have taken care of this land long before there was the United States of America and we will continue to fight for this Nation.”

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